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Yogmaya Neupane
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Yogmaya Neupane

योगमाया न्यौपाने

One Nepali poet

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Yogmaya Neupane (Nepali: योगमाया न्यौपाने) (1867–1941) was a religious leader, women's rights activist and poet based in Bhojpur district of Nepal. Yogmaya is considered to be among the pioneer female poets in Nepal with her only published book of poems, the Sarwartha Yogbani (Nepali: सर्वार्थ योगवाणी) considered to be her most notable contribution.

Quick facts

Born
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Died
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Citizenship
Nepal wd
Occupation
poet, writer, activist wd

About

Yogmaya's poems are set around the time when Nepal was ruled by the Rana regime and when India was ruled under the British Raj. Her style, characterized by the cultural and political oppression of the time was distinctly original and courageously outspoken. Despite putting a significant focus on the Hindu religious context as a religious leader, her poems and activism themes heavily revolved on female and minority rights in the region, which appealed to a lot of people around the time. In her later years, her activities were heavily monitored by the government and her works were banned by the authorities under the command of the Rana rulers and despite the persecution of her group, she is notable for opting to remain in Nepal and spending her last days around her birthplace in Eastern Nepal. It is also regarded that Yogmaya founded the first organization of Nepali women, the Nari Samiti for women's rights in 1918, which was considered to be the main lobby behind the abolition of the sati in Nepal in 1920.

Yogmaya's activism begun after she declared renunciation and returned to Nepal. With the authorities increasingly harsh towards Yogmaya and her group of supporters, as well as, unwilling to reform their brutal and corrupt approach to governance, Yogmaya and 67 of her disciples committed the biggest mass suicide (Jal-Samadhi) in Nepali history by jumping into the Arun River in 1941. In January 2016, the Nepal Government issued a postage stamp recognizing her contributions.

Questions

When was Yogmaya Neupane born?
Yogmaya Neupane was born on 1860.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia (English): Yogmaya Neupane · CC BY-SA 4.0
  2. Wikipedia (Nepali): योगमाया न्यौपाने · CC BY-SA 4.0
  3. Wikidata item Q8054418 · CC0 1.0
  4. Image: Yogmaya Neupane Artists Impression.jpg by NirSharma13 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Last updated · facts checked 3 November 2026

Cite this page

"Yogmaya Neupane". DigiNepal. Last updated 31 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/yogmaya-neupane. Retrieved 3 November 2026.

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Text from the Wikipedia article Yogmaya Neupane, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Yogmaya Neupane Artists Impression.jpg — NirSharma13, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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